Macaulay Culkin knows how to enjoy a good joke, and he proved it again during his recent nostalgia tour. While talking to fans in Long Beach, California, he shared the story behind his legal name change. And yes, it is just as funny as it sounds.
During the event, he told the crowd, “My name is Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin.” People laughed at first, but he reminded them that this is his real legal name. He changed it years ago because of a fan vote. It all started back in 2018 when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On the show, he joked about wanting a better middle name. After the episode, he took the idea to his website BunnyEars.com and created a poll, letting fans pick a new middle name for him.
The options were funny and a little weird. Choices included “The McRib Is Back,” “Publicity Stunt,” and “Kieran,” which was a sweet reference to his brother Kieran Culkin. Macaulay shared that he liked the idea of the name “Macaulay Kieran Culkin,” especially now that his brother has an Oscar. He joked that between the two of them, they have “exactly one Oscar.”
Fans voted for weeks, and on Christmas Day, Culkin announced the winning name on Twitter, now called X. The public chose “Macaulay Culkin” as his new middle name. This made his full legal name “Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin.”
He told the audience that the whole thing was just for fun. He said he changed his name simply for a laugh and because it made a good joke on Fallon’s show. Even today, he enjoys the reactions he gets. When someone asks if he is Macaulay Culkin, he can honestly say, “Macaulay Culkin is my middle name.”
He also shared that his partner Brenda Song helped him come up with some of the poll options. One of her suggestions was “Publicity Stunt.” Luckily for her, fans picked something a little more normal.
Macaulay’s name story has become a favorite among fans, and he seems to enjoy telling it every time.
